Chapter 20
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AN: Thank you to all who have added to alerts, read, reviewed or any combination of the three. It means a lot to me.
AN2: IMPORTANT: Okay so this is the last chapter for Family, thank you so much for sticking by me. There is a third part of this trilogy that I am currently writing which will be up either Thursday, Friday or over the weekend depending if I continue to have an issue that I am currently having. Once more thank you so much for sticking by me, I hope you like this chapter and what's to come in the future.
Back on the plane it has been four hours since Fitz helped Skye to the couch, which means almost half of the time Skye has left is gone. Skye hasn't seen anyone since Fitz left her as her parent's haven't left Coulson's office, obviously discussing what everything means and everyone else is down in the lab or out with Fury, that is until she hears someone coming up the stairs.
"Hey." Skye says when she sees Steve and realises that those who went with Fury are back
"Hi." Steve says walking over and sitting across from her, "You don't look to good." He tells her.
"Gee thanks Steve." Skye tells him.
"I'm sorry, I mean, you…" Steve begins to stutter but Skye cuts him off.
"It's okay, I know what you meant." She tells him, "I'm dying, I guess I'm not supposed to look awesome." She tells him.
"I think they might almost be done, whatever it is that they are building I think it's almost finished." Steve tells her.
"I think they've still got a few more hours to go." Skye tells him.
"Oh." Steve says not sure what else to say.
"You know now that I may not remember you have to remind them of what they did at Uncle Tony's birthday party." Skye tells him.
"What?" Steve asks confused.
"All the embarrassing things they did that night, that only we remember, you have to remind them, preferably to embarrass them at the worse time possible." Skye explains.
"Why?" Steve asks.
"It's just what you do." Skye tells him.
"Okay." Steve says confused.
"I wish we had gotten to spend more time together." Skye tells Steve.
"You're not dying, so we will." Steve tells her.
"It will be different I'll be a baby. It might be a while before we can actually have a conversation." Skye comments.
"Maybe by then I'll understand most of what you say." Steve tells her.
"Yeah, maybe." Skye says with a small smile, "It's completely up to you and what you're comfortable with but I would like it if Mini-Me called you Uncle Steve." Skye tells the Captain.
"I understood that reference." Steve says with a proud smile.
"You did?" Skye asks shocked, "How?"
"Tony." Steve answers.
"Ah, that makes sense." Skye realises, "So what do you say? Will you be okay with being Uncle Steve to Mini-Me?" Skye asks curious.
"Yeah, I would." Steve responds and the pair hear someone else coming upstairs.
"Captain, can you give me a few minutes with Skye." Fury requests as while it may sound like a question all three people who are present know that it's not.
"Of course Sir." Steve respond and he gets up and heads downstairs and Fury takes his spot.
"I want to apologise for how you were treated at the academy that should never have happened." Fury tells her.
"It okay Sir." Skye tells him, deciding not to even bother to ask how he knows.
"No its not." Fury tells her, "But you handled it well, and what you did today was incredibly brave." Fury tells her, "And If when you grow up again you want to be a S.H.I.E.L.D agent you will be, no academy this time, you are truly qualified." He tells her.
"Thank you Sir." Skye tells him, "I don't know what to say." She tells him honestly.
"You don't have to say anything." Fury tells her, "Now, where are your parents?" he asks.
"Upstairs." Skye tells him.
"Good." Fury says standing up then realising something, "What do you want for yourself?" Fury ask curious, "When you're young again where do you want to grow up?" he asks.
"Home." Skye comments without hesitation, "But I know that's not possible." Skye tells the Director, "Honestly I don't care about where I grow up, all I care about is who is around as I am." She tells him, "Mom, Dad, Uncle Clint, тетя Наташа, Uncle Tony, Aunt Pepper, Jemma, Fitz, Ward, Steve, Bruce, even you and Hill, you're my family and all I want for myself is to grow up with you all around." Skye explains and Fury responds with a nod and heads upstairs, speechless for the first time.
"Wow, congrats, I don't think anyone has ever rendered him speechless, not that I can remember anyway." Hill says from the direction of the stairs that lead downstairs.
"What I said is the truth." Skye says and Hill walks over to her.
"Well in that case, thank you." Hill tells her.
"No need." Skye tells her.
"And I heard about what happened at the academy." Hill tells her, "What you said to those Cadets truly embodies what a S.H.I.E.L.D agent is, you should be proud of that."
"Thanks." Skye responds, "You should keep an eye on Paige Allen, she could be a great agent, but she can be easily influenced by others, which could be a problem." Skye reveals feeling that warning Hill to make sure that someone is keeping an eye on the girl would be a good choice.
"I'll remember that." Hill responds.
"Cool." Skye responds and the pair drift into silence
A few minutes later Fury, Melinda and Coulson walk down the stairs.
"I'll leave you alone." Hill says getting up and heading back downstairs.
Melinda and Coulson walk over and sit on either side of their daughter while Fury follows Hill downstairs.
"How you doing?" Coulson asks worried.
"Not great." Skye responds honestly.
"How much pain are you in?" Melinda asks.
"Not a lot." Skye lies.
"May Skye Philippa." Melinda says in a warning tone of voice which says don't lie to me.
"Okay a lot." Skye corrects, "But it's not too bad with you guys besides me." Skye tells her parents and she snuggles in between her parents as they both put her arms around her.
Several hours after Hill and Fury went downstairs Tony comes upstairs.
"It's finished." He informs the Coulson's who are still huddled together.
"Thanks Tony." Coulson tells him and with a nod Tony heads back downstairs.
"You ready for this?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"Could I be?" Skye asks her mother, "I don't think I could ever be ready but it's time." Skye tell her parents, "Help me up." Skye requests and her father does, "I need you to know that I love you guys more than anything, please remember that, even when I'm fifteen and yelling that I hate you know that I don't mean it, that I love you." Skye tells her parents, "You guys are so amazing and I am so thankful that you are my parents." Skye tells them.
"Oh Baby Girl, we love you too." Coulson says and he hugs her daughter, "Be patient with us, we'll be learning as we go along." He tells her as he hugs her.
"Can I apologise in advance for all the trouble I'm going to cause?" Skye asks curious.
"No." Melinda says as she hugs her daughter, "I love you sweetheart." Melinda says as she hugs her.
"Let's get downstairs." Skye says several minutes later when both her parents are no longer hugging her.
Down in the lab everyone is standing around looking at the machine that Tony, Fitz and Simmons has built which is laying on the table.
"It looks like the machine that gave me the super serum." Steve notes.
"I may have used some of Dad's designs for that as inspiration." Tony reveals.
"Will it hurt her as much as that hurt me?" Steve asks worried.
"I don't know." Tony answers truthfully, "But my best guess is that it will hurt her more." Tony reveals.
"But unlike you she won't remember." Fitz adds as the door opens and Melinda, Coulson and Skye walk in.
"So that's it huh?" Skye asks
"That's it." Tony confirms, "Do you want me to explain to you how it works?" he asks curious.
"No need, I already know and I don't understand so there's no point." Skye tells her Uncle.
"Okay, hop up on the table when you're ready." Tony tells her.
"There's something I need to do first." Skye says then looks directly at Ward, "Can we talk outside?" She ask and Ward nods.
"I'll help you out." Coulson tells his daughter and he helps her out to the Cargo Bay and over to one of the chairs. Once she is sitting he heads back into the lab.
"I guess this is goodbye." Ward realises walking over and sitting next to her a couple of minutes after Coulson went back into the lab.
"For me maybe, not for you." Skye tells Ward, "I'll understand if you never want to be around Mini-Me, I can't even imagine how hard it's going to be for you." Skye tells him, "But I care about you and even if I never remember what we are I know that I want you in my life, in whatever form you're can handle, because you will always be my friend." Skye tells him, "Promise me that you won't shut everyone out, Fitz and Simmons love you, and you're their brother, let them in. Don't go back to being Mr Robot, please, for me." Skye requests.
"I won't." Ward tells her, "I promise." He tells her reaching over and grabbing her hand, "You're shaking." He realises.
"My nerves are dying." Skye tells him.
"Come on, it's time." Ward says helping her up.
"See you in another life Rookie." Ward tells Skye as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. "What you think I never listen to you and FitzSimmons?" he asks when he moves back and sees the completely shocked look on Skye's face.
"Not when we talk about Lost." Skye responds and Ward helps her back into the lab. With difficulty and almost falling over more than once Skye gives everyone a hug, both Fury and Hill surprised that she included them.
"I love you guys so much." Skye tells them a tear coming to her eyes but this time not from pain, "Please don't ever forget that." Skye requests.
"We won't." Clint assures his nice.
"And thank you, you all mean more to me than I could put into words." She tells everyone. "For when I change." Skye says handing her mother her S.H.I.E.L.D blanket, "Uncle Tony make sure Bruce knows that I he's family too and that I want to know him as Uncle Bruce as I grow up even if he doesn't think he deserves to be known as that." Skye request looking at her Uncle remembering something Bruce said during the truth or dare game.
"I'll make sure." Tony promises her.
"Thank you." Skye responds, "I'm ready." Skye says after taking a deep breath.
"Okay, let's do this thing then." Tony says, "Steve do you think you could help Skye onto the table?" Tony asks the solider.
"May I?" He asks Skye.
"You may." Skye says and Steve lifts her and puts her so that she is sitting inside the chamber that Tony, Fitz and Simmons has built.
"This is going to hurt, but you won't remember." Tony tells her, "Even if you get your memories of this life back I doubt you'll remember this part." He tells her and Skye nods.
"What do I do now?" Skye asks.
"Lay down, we'll get everything ready." Simmons says going to her friends' side.
For the next five minutes Fitz, Simmons and Tony get Skye in the right position and hook all different things to both her and the machine.
"Okay. Everything's ready, are you?" Tony asks.
"Yeah. Guess you're off the hook for blackmail." Skye tells him to everyone else's confusion.
"Yeah, guess I am." Tony responds a sad smile present on his face, "I've got to close the top now." Tony responds.
"Do it." Skye requests and that's what Tony does.
"You've got to stay back." Tony says turning to everyone else, "This won't be pleasant for all of us to see, but it's the only way to save her." Tony tells them. "Keep them back." He says looking at Steve who nods.
Going to the computer that is connected the machine Tony begins to type, he breaths deeply before pressing entre.
As soon as Tony presses enter Skye's screams can be heard throughout the plane and Steve has to hold back both Phil and Melinda while Fury has to hold back Clint and Ward as Fitz, Simmons and Pepper look on with sadness clear on their faces and Natasha's face is hard to read but it is clear that it is affecting her, and it's clear that both Steve and Maria are doing their best not to let what they are feeling show.
Once the screams stop everyone turns to Tony to see what it means, "Ten more seconds." Tony responds and once the ten seconds are up Tony turns the machine off and walks over to the machine and lifts the lid.
"Is she okay?" Melinda asks worried Steve moving out of the way so that Coulson and Melinda can go to Tony's side.
"She's fine, see for yourself." Tony says picking up Skye who is now once more a baby and looking at him with an odd look on her face, "That doesn't mean she is going to cry is it?" he asks Melinda and Coulson as he holds Skye.
"No, but we should probably cover her up." Coulson comments as Skye is completely naked.
"I think that's Mom's job." Tony says handing Skye to Melinda who wraps her in the blanket.
"The energy is in the containment case at the bottom, I guess you know what you're going to do with it." He says to Fury.
"I do." Fury responds as there is only once option that he is comfortable with considering everything he knows.
"May I preform a quick test to make sure she is okay?" Simmons asks Melinda and Coulson.
"Of course." Coulson responds and Melinda brings Skye over to Skye's medical station where Simmons spends the next fifteen minutes running tests while everyone watches on no one talking as they are all waiting for the news that she is okay, the news that they are all hoping for.
"She is a completely healthy three month old." Simmons says as she runs her finger along Skye's chest and the little girl laughs, "The electrical levels in her brain are slightly elevated but well below the level to be concerned about, it's actually below what we were expecting." Simmons tells the worried parents.
"I never thought I would here that laugh again." Coulson comments picking up Skye as before she was taken Skye has just started to laugh.
"Me either." Melinda comments, "We need supplies." She realises, "We got nothing here for a baby."
"Here?" Clint asks, "So you decided that you'll raise her on the plane." He realises hoping that the answers is yes.
"It's what she wanted." Coulson tells everyone.
"Guess she really is a child of S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony comments to everyone's confusion, "Inside joke." He explains to everyone's confused looks.
The End
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